Folding ladder.



Y G. u. MICHEL FOLDING LADDER.

APPLIGATIQE Hum JULY 2a, 191s,

A nom/Ew.

' CHARLES 'OTTO MICHL, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

FOLDING pannen.

Lionsos.

Specification of Letters Patent. l Patented June 30, 1914.

Appncanon ined July 23, 1913. serial No. 780,615.

4 of novel construction which is well adapted 'for use as a fire escape, ships ladder or similar device. The ladder may he readily old' ed and unfolded, presents a tirm support for hapds and feet, and is of such rigidity, that it is notliable to sway during use. A

In the accompanying drawing; Figure 1 is a front view of my improved folding lajdder, showing it unfolded; Fig. 2, a similar View on an enlarged scale, showing it folded; Fig, a top `yiew of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, an

'enlarged section on line 4, 4 F ig. 1, and Fig.

5, an enlarged section on line 5, 5 Fig. 1.

Each step or' the ladder is composed of a flat wooden rectangular tread 10 the width of which is reduced at bot-h ends along the forward as well as ther rear edges to form,

a pair of laterally projecting integral grips orv handles l1. substantially the'A axial center of the step and are thus'set olil a Apronounced distance from the front and' rear edges thereof, so that the steps while insuring a firm foot hold, assume the additional function of holding the handles off the wall etc. along which the ladder is lowered,.and this without regard to `which side of the ladderhappens to' be foremost. To each stepwith thel exception of the top and bottom steps) there are pivoted at the four'corners of its tread, a pair of metal straps 12, one member of each strap-pair, being directed upward While the other member is directed downward, during the unfolded position of the ladder.

ln order to secure the straps to the steps, and at the sume time obtain a firm bearing for the latter, a transverse bolt 13, is arranged beneath each end of the tread, and firmly secured thereto by staples 1l. or in similar manner. The length of the bolts is somewhat greater than the width of the steps, so that each bolt protrudes slightly beyond the front and rear edgesA thereof. These protruding: ends of the bolts are cngaged by the eyed ends of the straps, so that 'the latter are ircely foldable, the bolts being '11, protrude laterally beyond such side rai These grips are located in upset after assemblalge, to permanently unite the parts. The free ends of 'the straps, z'. e.,

those ends which are not secured to the steps,

are made to overlap the corresponding straps of the adjoining steps to which they are hingedly secured by pins 15. In other words, the dependingvstraps of any one step 'are hingedly secured to the corresponding ascending straps of ,the step next below. while. the depending straps of this second step `are hingedly secured to the ascending straps of the third step etc. It will thus be seen, that the ladder is provided with four foldable side rails, two atthe front, and two at the rear of each tread, and that the grips so as to be freely accessible. So also thd side ,rails though .freely 'foldable, are provided with a minimum number of hinge connections, whichrenders the structure stiff and checks swaying, which is liable to occur by Weather, conditions or by the movements of unskilled or timorous persons. Finally, the ladder may be folded up into a very compact form k (Fig. 2) to occupy a minimum amount of space when not lin use or during transportation. A With the' uppermost step, the four ascending straps 12, are .renplace'd by a air of yokes 16, carried by its bolts 13,'an loosely encompassing a pair of rings 17. These rings arel adapted to be engaged by hooks -18,

`which arepermanently secured to the Window 19 or other structure from which the ladder is tdbe suspended. All that is therefore required to place the ladder in commission, is to slip the rings 17 into the hooks 18, and then release the bottom step, where' uponA theside rails will become unfolded by the weight of the steps.

I claim: A folding'ladder comprising a plurality of steps of flat rectangular shape, cach step being reduced at both ends along the .front and rear edges thereof to form a pair of laterally extending integralha'ndles that are set off a pronounced distance from said front and rear edges, and foldable uprights, that are pivotally secured to each of the corners of the steps.

` CHARLES OTTO MICHEL. Witnesses:

FRANK. v. Bumsen,

FRLEDA ELMAN. 

